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History of the 35th Photo Tech Unit

Welcome to the 35th Photo Tech Unit on the web. This site is an attempt to tell the story of the 35th and to help those looking for information on World War II vets.

Charlton Prince reports that "after the end of the war, we had a lot of time on our hands waiting to get home. The unit published a book as I recall with a history of the unit and pictures of everybody with their home addresses." Most copies of the book remain with the former members of the 35th. A copy can also be found at the New York Public Library. That book gives the following information on the 35th:

"This unit provides the quantitative reproduction of photographs required by a bomber command (VHB) or a tactical air force. It also performs detailed interpretation of the resultant photographs for the above units."

Activated as a Photographic Laboratory at Salinas Kansas on 1 April 1944, enlarged to the 35th Photographic Technical Unit with the above-stated function, this organization was assigned to the newly formed XXI Bomber Command.

Under the command of Major Eugene H. Field, we packed at Peterson Field, Col., POM'd at Seattle, Washington, and were Duva bound close on the heels of the XXI Headquarters. News of the first Mariana's based B29 attack reached us while anchored at Pearl Harbor. Some 35th personnel had flown ahead to Saipan to work on the early strikes. They rejoined us soon after our arrival at Guam, our permanent overseas station.

Pushing the jungle back, building our living and working facilities, collecting our equipment and installing it filled the first island days. Then the bombing of Japan became our daily business. Pre-strike preparations and post strike assessments busied our work shops through the monthe preceeding VJ day. The pictorial story of Japan's devistation emerged from our developing trays, on our presses, on the maps and under the stereoscopes of the 35th. Reports compiled by all hands record the story of the B29 air offensive against Japan.

	1944 Itinerary
Shaaf, Salina, Kansas		3 June	5 July
Peterson Field, Colorado		6 July	3 November
Fort Lawton, Washington		5 November	10 November
San Francisco, California		13 November	16 November
Pearl Harbor		23 November	26 November
Eniwetok		4 December	8 December
Arrived at Guam		12 December

	Wartime Production Totals
Photo Laboratory		1,500,000 Prints
Compilation		100 Target Charts
Photo Interpretaion		1,253 Reports
Reproduction		1,875,000 Impressions